A county board installs a new badge reader on the data-center door and asks whether that control is technical or physical. How should the security analyst classify the badge reader?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Think of the badge reader like a locked front door with a fancy latch — the goal is still who walks into the room, not which packets hit a firewall. Electronics inside the reader do not turn it into a technical network control. On the exam, facility access gear sits in the physical category.
Full Explanation
CompTIA Security+ separates control categories (technical, managerial, operational, physical) from control types (preventive, detective, and related). A door badge reader, turnstile, or similar access device primarily restricts or mediates physical entry to a space, so it is classified as a physical control even though it contains electronics. Calling it technical solely because chips or networks are involved confuses implementation details with the category axis. Managerial covers policies and risk decisions; operational covers people-driven processes.